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ALIAS
Episode Seventeen, Season Five
ABC Production
"So long, Farewell, Aufwiedersehn,
Goodnight"
The final episode of Alias and I’m proud
to say that not only was I a passenger on this ride right from episode one, but I stuck
with it even when the plots became such a mess of red herrings, teaser plots and
half-truths that I suspect even the writing team didn’t fully grasp the story they
were trying to tell. In any event this final episode is a rather clean cut affair as we
have two evil masterplans on the table, and the Alias crew deftly divide their time
between the two. The first threat has Sloane finally getting his hands on the end product
of Rambaldi’s work, and while the big payoff really wasn’t worth the long road
we took to arrive at this point, I did rather enjoy where this plot leaves Sloane as I
couldn’t think of a more fitting punishment. This section of the plot also includes
the second big death of the series, as Jack takes a chest full of bullets, but finds
enough in his reserves to have his revenge on Sloane. As for the second threat it’s a
very traditional action movie plot, as the second villain Irina Derevko has gotten a hold
of a couple missiles which she plans to fire off at Washington D.C. and London, which in
turn leads to the typical ticking clock countdown to launch and last second abort. Still
this plot does feature a very intense, surprisingly brutal battle between Sydney and her
mother, where the climax provides a very cliché moment where Irina is forced to decide
whether to save herself, or the sphere. Now one has to wonder why she didn’t try for
opinion C which would be to save oneself, and than work at getting the sphere from
it’s rather precarious perch, but like all good power mad villains Irina choose to
fall to her seeming death in the pursuit of her object of power. The episode also includes
a number of flashback moments where we get a quick tour of the formative moments in
Sydney’s early years, and these scenes do a lovely job of fleshing out her past. The
final scene of the episode where we revisit Sydney and company a year or two later also
did an effective job of showing viewers that Sydney and the surviving cast received their
respective happily ever after endings. Goodbye Alias, it was a fun ride while it lasted,
and you left on a pretty high note.
4 out of 5 Stars
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ALIAS
Episode Sixteen, Season Five
ABC Production
"It's the final countdown..."
If you want me to be emotionally invested in
a story that involves characters being taken captive by the big bad villains than a very
good first step is to make one of the kidnap victims my personal favourite members of the
cast. Than to add to the tension have this take place in the second to last episode of the
series, and have various cast members of the show running around making cryptic comments
about how not every cast member is going to make it out of these final two episodes alive.
Yes a pretty good chunk of this first episode was occupied by me becoming increasingly
concerned that the Alias writers were going to kill Marshall, so the sense of relief I
felt when Sydney and the rescue team was very welcome. Now this episode does offer up the
death of a cast member, as we see like all good mastermind villains Sloane has dispatched
his minions to carry out his dirty work, so while Peyton machine guns down the inner
circle of Prophet Five, Sark is busy planting a bomb in the APO headquarters. This in turn
allows Thomas Grace to make his heroic exit as he delays the bomb long enough so that APO
can be fully evacuated, and he leaves himself just enough time to make a surprisingly
touching goodbye to Rachel. The episode also features a number of cool little super spy
moments, as the episode opens with Sydney’s mission to snap a photo of a Prophet Five
member going a bit off the rails, and she’s forced to carry it out in a very action
hero like manner by rapidly descending down the side of a building. The episode also has
Sydney and Vaughn making a crossover visit to the Star Trek ice planet set, where Sloane
is busy recreating a scene from Raiders of the Lost Arc. He also show off his villainous
side, as he gloats about the evil plans that are being carried out by his minions, and he
even manages to perfectly time his attack on Sydney so that it serves as a fairly gripping
cliff-hanger moment to carry viewers into the second hour. Marshall also manages to
provide some solid reminds of why he’s always been one of my favourite elements of
this series, with his geek-out reaction to Rachel’s action hero moment being the
highlight.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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ALIAS
Episode Fifteen, Season Five
ABC Production
"It brings me pleasure just to
know your going to die"
This episode is a pretty run-of-the-mill
adventure that seems far more invested in setting the stage for the big finish, but there
was enough action to keep me placated, and more importantly while the Rambaldi quest is
still very much front and centre the episode doesn’t fall into the trap of getting so
caught up in the mysticism of the 500 year old prophet that it completely kills the
momentum of the story. In fact the story is almost guilty of being a little too simplistic
in it’s treatment of the Rambaldi Intel, as our characters are springing into action
right after latest clue is offered up to the viewers at home. Now there’s some little
details that left me a bit dubious as the method that Sark uses to escape his cell employs
such a tired cliché that I find myself utterly disappointed in the guards who fall for
this trick each and every time. I also found it a bit questionable that Sark and Sydney
would end up in the same prison, let alone be incarcerated in this facility so soon after
they committed their crime. Still, I can understand why the writing decided to employ such
a convenient shortcut, and since the forward momentum of this episode was one of it’s
best features these questions are quite easy to overlook. There’s also a pretty solid
mix of action in this episode as we open with a nice bit of action as Vaughn speeds
through the city in an effort to give Sydney a cell phone lifeline. The scene where a
vengeful Sloane descends upon Sydney also made for a powerful moment, and even though I
knew he wouldn’t succeed in his efforts, it was still a memorable stand-off. The
secondary plot involving Grace’s mission to discover why his wife was killed also
managed to deliver a powerful moment, as while the plot seems to be unconnected to the
main plot, I have to confess I was rather impressive by the final move he made in this cat
and mouse game with his wife’s killer. There’s also a rather funny character
moment where Dixon admits to Vaughn that he only understood about half the techno-babble
that Marshall just rattled off, as it’s a throwaway line that made me smile in the
midst of a rather serious minded sequence.
3 out of 5 Stars
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ALIAS
Episode Fourteen, Season Five
ABC Production
"She ain't pretty she just looks
that way"
This episode wisely plays with the downside
of having an agent who looks just like the hero of a series as it opens the door for
exactly the type of infiltration that Sydney pulls off in the final moments of this
episode. In fact one does have to wonder why the big baddies didn’t take this into
consideration when they decided it would be a good idea to create an agent how looks just
like Sydney, and give Anna a secret code phrase that she could use to confirm her identity
when she returned from a confrontation with Sydney. There’s also the big question of
why did Anna decide to reveal herself to Sydney, as the only thing she managed to
accomplish by stepping out of the shadows is to let Sydney in on the gag. Now this episode
offers up the return of a couple characters as Vaughn emerges from his monastery retreat,
and we also get a nice reveal moment where we see Sloane sends out a message to Sark, who
is yet another dead character who has been brought back for this last hurrah. However,
this episode is a very exposition heavy affair, as Sloane holds a couple meandering
conversation with the ghost of his late daughter, and I have to confess I quickly grew
bored with these scenes when I started to notice that precious little was actually being
revealed. I mean we learn that Sloane has already figured out the big secret of Page 47,
and we also learn Sloane continues to nurse his own agenda. The writing also drops the
ball by skipping over some rather important details, as while I know Sydney’s
survival is pretty much guaranteed, this doesn’t give the writing licence to skip
right over showing viewers how she managed to escape the exploding car. Also while the
explanation might’ve been offered up during one of the lengthy speeches that this
episode offered up, I was a bit puzzled about how Sydney managed to locate Anna and Vaughn
in the basement of that jewellery shop. Still there was some exciting bits in this
episode, as the big throw down between Anna and Vaughn had a lovely back and forth quality
about it. The big car wreck scene was also an impressive staged bit of stunt work.
3 out of 5 Stars
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ALIAS
Episode Thirteen, Season Five
ABC Production
"Maybe I didn't treat you, quite
as good as I should have"
Now I’ve been willing to buy into the
illusion that this series presents that all Sydney needs to render her self unrecognizable
is a wig but this episode goes a little too far, as when Sydney and crew set up an ambush
for Anna, they decide the best position they can take is right in plain sight, and given
Anna would likely be the type of professional who would scope out a local to make sure it
was secure, Sydney and the others end up looking like morons. I mean of course she’s
going to spot it’s a trap when Sydney’s crew are standing right next to the
person she’s looking to meet. However, I suspect many viewers won’t really get
stuck on this detail, as the final third of this episode is also sporting a pair of
shocking deaths, and while one could argue that both of these characters were peripheral
characters who make for ideal warm bodies to toss on to the pile that many series offer up
as a series nears it’s final episode I have to confess I didn’t see either death
coming until they made their arrival. Plus, both of them do a lovely job of reaffirming
the idea that Anna and Sloane are both wearing black hats. Yes you read that right, the
ever ambiguous Sloane is directly responsible for the death of a character, and the events
leading up to this death and his reaction afterwards do a amazing job of showing viewers
how deeply his Rambaldi obsession lies. Now the other death is directly linked to the
rather silly plot that has Anna remade to be an exact duplicate of Sydney, but one
can’t deny the sheer effectiveness of the moment where we see Anna takes full
advantage to the momentary surprise that her appearance affords her. The episode does
falter a bit on moments that normally are quite effective though, as most time
Marshall’s little briefing session make me crack a smile, but this time his use of
props felt a little too cute. Also while I’m normally a big fan of Jack’s
brooding intensity this episode the performance felt a bit artificial. However, I suspect
part of this is due to the simple fact that he’s so easily fooled by what he finds in
that storage locker, as Jack should never apologize for following up on his hunches.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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ALIAS
Episode Twelve, Season Five
ABC Production
"She's got legs, she knows how to
use them."
I have to say the big shocking surprise that
this episode offers up as it’s closing shot really does nothing for me, as it such a
cheesy plot device that has always been a better fit in the science fiction genre than the
spy thriller. However, with four episodes left I guess the writers have already picked how
they want to exit stage right, and one has to assume the writers went with this idea
because it fits their plans for what will hopefully be a memorable exit. In any event
while I remain unconvinced by this development, this episode does feel a bit like old home
week as Gina Torres (Zoe from Firefly!) return as Anna Espinosa, Sydney’s most
memorable adversary, as does Will Tippin. Now the former provides a pair of pretty intense
slugfests against Sydney as the two trade blows and generally kick the holy heck out of
each other. As for Will’s return he brings an enjoyable back and forth that has been
missing from this season, and how can one not smile as he deals with the idea that
he’s got a bomb in his head. In fact while the writing tries to add some level of
suspense to the idea of the bomb in Will’s head Bradley Cooper’s performance
does a much better job of playing up the comedy, with his reaction when Marshall tells him
the good news about the bomb being the highlight of the episode. Also with Vaughan’s
return yet to arrive, it’s nice to have a character enter Sydney’s life that is
able to make her smile, as Jennifer Garner has one of the more genuine smiles on
television. On the other hand you could tell she was struggling with some lines of
dialogue as there’s a couple lines that fall flat, though I can’t help but feel
it’s the writing fault for asking her deliver goofy lines like "Momma’s
gotta go to work" rather than her delivery of these lines. I do want to say that the
speeding train set piece does feel a little too familiar though, and I can’t help but
feel that I’ve seen those shots where the train speeds past the camera before. In the
end though the big brawls between Anna and Sydney, plus the breezy back and forth between
Will and Sydney was enough to win me over. Still that ending does make me a little
nervous.
3 out of 5 Stars
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ALIAS
Episode Eleven, Season Five
ABC Production
"In my family, that's how it's
gonna be"
While television shows are infamous for
having babies born very quickly I have to say Sydney’s delivery must have broken some
kind of record, as even with the complication of having the baby coming out backwards, she
was able to deliver the child in a manner of minutes. Still, perhaps the heightened pain
tolerance that she’s built up thanks to the various torture sessions she’s had
to endure over the past five seasons allowed her to motor along right up until the moment
where the child was ready to enter the world, or else the child was simply considerate
enough to make a speedy entrance into the world because she knew her mother didn’t
have the hours it normally takes. Still, while the delivery was stretching the envelop it
was nice to get an episode where the Bristow family was back together, though this episode
begs the question how many times can her mother screw her over before Sydney starts to
question her trustworthiness. Still, Jennifer Garner does the wounded puppy dog
performance so well that I can’t help but feel for her character every time she
discovers the ugly truth about her mother. There’s also a couple lovely character
moments that sold me on this episode as Irina explains why she had Sydney, and Jack and
Irina share a couple moments together where we see a bond between these two is still in
play. This episode also has some pretty exciting action moments, as while I’ve never
quite been sold on Peyton being the big baddie, she does get a nice villain moment when
she blow the escape helicopter out of the sky, and the showdown between her and Jack was
pretty enjoyable. There’s also a nice secondary plot involving Dixon as he’s
tasked with discovering what the mystery mission was, and I rather enjoyed the manner in
which the information was acquired from this reluctant source. Plus, this episode offers
up another one of those cliff-hanger moments that can’t help but leave you equal
parts annoyed and intrigued. In any event this was another enjoyable episode, and with
Sydney’s pregnancy now brought to a close, one imagines the final episodes will have
her character back performing her patented high kick and showing viewers why she’s
one of the super stars of the female set of secret agents.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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ALIAS
Episode Ten, Season Five
ABC Production
"He's a angry man. Such an angry
man"
I have to say I’m rather pleased the
show didn’t take the predictable path as I was fully expecting the big epiosde ending
reveal would be that the big baddies had taken Sydney’s baby, and the final episode
would involve an enraged Sydney working to locate her child. However in spite of the
decidedly ominous quality of her captors as they poked and prodded her we soon discover
that they were working to save the yet to be born child, as Sydney was suffering from a
condition that threatened to terminate the pregnancy. In any event it’s great to see
this show back on the air for one final hurrah, and while this episode sticks pretty close
to the standized formula that has our cast tasked to carry a out mission that allows them
to display their technical wizardry and make all manner of narrow escapes, I can’t
deny that I’m able to get caught up in these James Bond style escapades.
Marshall’s presence on this episode’s mission also managed to add some much
needed humour, from his over the top performance when he states that his cracking the
mystery code is what set off the alarms, to the obvious bit of slapstick when he forgets
to push the enter command the would unlock the door. However the real selling point of
this episode would have to be the scene where Jack confronts the traitor in the upper
branches of the CIA, as while Jack Bauer may rule the roost when it comes to being the big
bad thug when he’s questioning a suspect, I have to say Jack Bristow makes a pretty
convincing challenge for that title in this episode. In fact the only quibble that I would
make about this episode would be the scenes involving Thomas Grace’s hunt for his
wife’s killer, as while this side plot does earn points for offering up a surprise
twist when he finally confronts the man, Balthazar Getty’s stilted performance pretty
much drained any suspense from the scenes that centred around this search. I mean I
realize that he’s supposed to be extremely reserved and that he plays his emotions
close to the vest, but even Clint Eastwood the undisputed king of this type of character
is able to inject some life into his performances so you can identify the emotions that
he’s keeping bottled up.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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ALIAS
Episode Nine, Season Five
ABC Production
"Stuck in the middle with
you"
There may be some fans that toss this episode
off as a clip episode as on the surface the main plot involves a captive Sydney being
taken back through her memories so that she can recall a vital piece of information that
was revealed to her in the first episode of the series. However the main reason why a
series will do a clip show is to cut the costs that come with filming new footage, and
this clearly isn’t the case on this episode as rather than cut and paste using old
footage they recreated the original scenes, as the story required these scenes to take a
different path than they originally took. If anything this episode is a rather clever
means of say goodbye to the character of Michael Vaughn as we see Sydney’s memories
are entirely centred around the time that they had spent together, and the series touches
base with several key moments in their relationship, from the first moment where Sydney
realized she had feelings for Vaughn, to the marriage propsal, to the moments just before
his death. Now of course the writing also uses this opportunity to milk the emotional
angst that comes with the idea that Vaughn is no longer with us, as the exit hatch
available to Sydney involves her exorcising Vaughn from her memories, and while they play
the scene where she refuses to do this one too many times I will concede that Jennifer
Garner does a lovely job of selling the anguish of her character, so much so that I have
to confess I bought into the illusion that she had actually broke, and given the villains
the information they were looking for. However, while this was a fun trip down memory lane
the real enjoyment that this episode provides are the scenes that involve Jack
Bristow’s efforts to locate his missing daughter, as one can’t help but feel for
any villain who crosses his path during this search, after witnessing his opening move
during the questioning of one of her kidnappers.
3 out of 5 Stars
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ALIAS
Episode Eight, Season Five
ABC Production
"About Last Night ..."
This episode brings back a character from the
previous season and while I could've sworn that Sark was killed during his last appearance
the simple truth of the matter is that this series has featured so many deaths that are
followed by surprise resurrections (e.g. see the preview for next week's episode), that
it's next to impossible to put a check-mark beside any of these character when it comes to
their actual deaths. Still this comic book style sensibility when it comes to death is
actually one of this series more endearing qualities, and truth be told with all the new
faces in the cast I actually welcome cast members from the previous season, if only for
the new character interaction that presents itself. I mean Rachel's interaction with
Julian Sark in this episode is somewhat surprising in that the two become involved in
almost a sitcomish type situation, as they are both working to steal secret information
from the computer of a weapon's designer, and after they've both accomplished their
mission they enjoy a little downtime together, little realizing that they are rivals. This
in turn results in a wonderfully awkward moment where Rachel comes to realize her
one-night stand was with an established series bad-guy, and the episode plays this moment
of realization to near perfection. The writers also come up with a plot device that
requires these two to have continued interaction, and while the bomb defusing scene felt a
little contrived, I can't deny her final speech before she cut the wire made me smile, as
did the follow-up bit between Marshall and Sydney. In fact my only real quibble with this
episode was that Jack gets short-changed, as his capture is almost an afterthought, and
truth be told I wish the character had been given more to do during the interrogation
scene than look on in helpless frustration.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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ALIAS
Episode Seven, Season Five
ABC Production
"Devils live in quiet pond."
First off I have to confess my attention was
a little divided during the opening half of this episode, as I had a hockey game going on
the downstairs television, and with Smallville being recorded on the VCR, I couldn’t
record this episode to watch after the game had finished, so truth be told anytime the
Oilers scored a goal, I was down the stairs to watch the replay, which pulled me away from
the episode several times. However, I managed to catch enough of the episode so that I
have a pretty good idea of what was going on, as the opening half of the episode seemed to
be centred around the capture of Gordon Dean, after Arvin Sloane came forward to reveal to
the others that his release from government custody came with a price tag. Now I have to
give the writers of this series for the lovely little tap dance that they perform in this
episode with the character of Arvin Sloan. I mean I was truly surprised when the character
told Jack that he was in the service of Gordon Dean, and I loved the way the episode
played out so that we see Arvin Sloane manages to land back in the service of the
villains, but his actions earlier in the episode managed to build up a considerable amount
of trust as Jack and the rest are left with the false belief that Arvin Sloane has
completely cut his ties with the organization that Gordon Dean was working for. The
episode also continues to provide my weekly fix of butt kicking, as while Sydney’s
pregnancy has put her on the sidelines the episode opens with a yet another fantastic
Renée battle, and while her rookie status is still very much a factor in her performance,
I can’t deny that watching Rachel fumble her way through a battle remains quite
entertaining. The episode also offers up another funny comedy bit involving Marshall as we
see him come up with a novel method of making Gordon Dean talk.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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ALIAS
Episode Six, Season Five
ABC Production
"Experience is a good teacher, but
she sends in terrific bills."
This episode is centred around our newest
field agent, as we see Rachel Gibson steps out from the computer terminal and heads out on
her first solo mission. Now there are no real surprises here as the episode plays up the
idea that she’s not exactly ready to play with the big dogs, and while her first
mission can’t be written off as a cakewalk, the dangers that she encounters are
pretty easily overcome, and the writing is clearly more interested in playing with the
comedic potential of a rookie field agent. I mean she’s not shooting herself in the
foot, and it’s clear with Sydney’s guidance she can be a pretty capable field
agent, but up until the final confrontation with her former best-friend the episode is a
pretty tame adventure. Now the final confrontation does have a nice sense of urgency about
is as earlier scenes in the episode managed to establish Rachel is not overly impressive
when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. However, I have to say part of me was a little
disappointed that the battle didn’t make better use of the glorious set piece that
they had available, as the establishing shot of the oil platform can’t help but leave
one impressed by the sheer size of the structure, but when the final battle arrives
it’s limited to a rather confined area. In the end this episode does a nice job of
selling Rachel Gibson as a possible replacement for Sydney, and with Jennifer
Garner’s pregnancy I imagine we’re in for a number of episodes this season where
Rachel Gibson, and Thomas Grace are going to have to carry the action, though I have to
say my fingers are crossed for more Renée action, as her knife-throwing display in this
episode was a delightfully ruthless display of violence. The plot involving Arvin Sloane
also benefits tremendously from the fact that Ron Rifkin does a lovely job of selling the
inner depths of evil.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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ALIAS
Episode Five, Season Five
ABC Production
"It is possible for your mind to
be so open that your brains falls out."
This episode gets a little bit silly when it
starts to explain the truth about the man that was hidden inside the cryogenic chamber, as
any time a writer brings the idea of a brain transplant to the table, the story begins to
lose any sense of credibility. I mean all the memories locked away in my head regarding
the concept of brain transplant are of the silly variety, from the hilarious Abby Normal
exchange from "Young Frankenstein", to "Spock's Brain" which is
arguably the goofiest episode of the original Star Trek. Now perhaps I misread the scene
that the body that emerged from the chamber is one of the duplicates that was running
around in a previous season, but this doesn't really help matters much as I was never a
big fan of this plot device, because the writers became too dependant on it to explain
their way out of a corner they had written themselves into. In any event this episode does
allow Agent Grace the opportunity to play the action hero, as I rather enjoyed the way he
managed to make his way down to the truck that was pumping the knockout gas into the
building. The episode also opens with a pretty exciting bit of action, and I have to give
full marks to the stunt-person who performed that flaming leap out the window, as it gave
the episode a running start out of the gate. The scene where Agent Grace watches as a
small army enters the building, also made for a powerful commercial break moment. As for
the rest of the cast, the material involving Arvin Sloane felt a little too familiar, but
truth be told Ron Rifkin is far more engaging as the wolf in the fold, than a sinner
seeking redemption, so I'm not going to complain too loudly about this development. The
scene where Marshall and Rachel compare notes about how they hacked their way into the
Pentagon database was also a cute exchange.
3 out of 5 Stars
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ALIAS
Episode Four, Season Five
ABC Production
"If we do not hang together, we
shall surely hang separately."
The problem with opening an issue with a
cliff-hanger, and than jumping back in time to show us how our hero came to be in such a
precarious position, is that the danger has to be so dire in nature that the viewer will
be left asking the question of how can our hero possibly save themselves? However, truth
be told I had come up with a way for Sydney to save herself moments after I figured out
what the villain had done, and as such the sense of urgency simply wasn't there. Now this
episode did manage to successfully build the suspense in other sections as there's a
lovely little bit of rising tension on display as Dixon and Grace find themselves stalling
for time as the answer to the final question isn't generated by the computer. There's also
a nice little back and forth exchange between Sydney and Rachel discuss the true gravity
of their situation, and I have to say the student/mentor relationship between these two is
actually proving to be more endearing than I had expected it to be. The opening teaser
section also did a lovely job of getting the episode off to an impressive start out of the
gate, as how can one not love Jennifer Garner's impression of a cocky gambler, and the
scene where we see being caught by the casino was all part of the plan was a clever twist.
There's also some solid emotion on display was Rachel finds herself digging through the
ruins of her former office, as Rachel Nichols does a lovely job of selling her character's
discomfort. There's also yet another cute Marshall moment as he produces the dice that
Sydney will use to pull off her winning streak. As for the running subplots there is an
interesting, if somewhat hard to believe development when it comes to Arvin Sloane's
imprisonment, and one has to love the comments that carry over this closing scene.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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ALIAS
Episode Three, Season Five
ABC Production
"I dance to the tune that is
played."
First off I have to say I love the missions
that allow Marshall to head out in the field, and how can one not love the scene where
Marshall passes himself off as a someone who has a wealth of knowledge about being an
operative in the field. I also have to say this episode does a pretty decent job of
introducing us to the newest member of the cast, as Sydney finds herself faced with a
young woman who is unknowingly working for a criminal organization, while operating under
the belief that her employer is the C.I.A., and this in turn results in a lovely little
scene where Sydney realizes that she's heard this story before. Plus if I had any doubts
about how effectively this episode managed to develop the newest member of the cast, these
were instantly quashed when I found myself delighted to see the character had survived the
explosion that took out pretty much a entire floor where her offices were located. Now I'm
still not quite sold on the other new cast member, as Agent Grace remains a rather
uninspired collection of character clichés, as this episode's big revelation is that he's
a loner who Sydney believes won't work well within the group dynamic, and this episode
offers up a number of scenes where the character strikes his own path, which more often
than not run counter to the group's interests. Still, it's still rather early to be
writing the character off as a lost cause. This episode also offers up a pretty solid
secondary plot involving Sloane's effort to cure his daughter, and the big payoff scene
where he discovers that the end goal of his quest was an illusion had me on pins and
needles, as the gunning down of Vaughan in the season opener has served to project the
feeling that no secondary character is safe. In the end this was a well crafted episode,
with enough excitement to convince me that this season looks extremely promising.
4 out of 5 Stars
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ALIAS
Episode Two, Season Five
ABC Production
"Friends may come and go, but
enemies accumulate."
The episode managed to earn points in my good
book for offering up some much needed attention toward the character of Weiss even as the
character is being shown the door, as I love the idea of this character being thrown into
a Sydney-level fight and watching him struggle to stay alive long enough for the help to
arrive. In fact Weiss' battle in the office against the sword swinging henchman stands up
as the most entertaining battle that we've seen this season, as I've always been a firm
believer in the idea that battles where the hero is the clear-cut underdog are far more
exciting. This episode also offers up a quick introduction to our newest cast member and
while we don't see enough of the character to form much of an opinion, I'm a little
concerned by the plot cliché elements that look to have been attached to the character,
as he looks like the damaged goods with a short temper cookie cutter character that are a
dime-a-dozen in spy dramas. However, in spite of her pregnancy, Sydney isn't being
shuffled into the background as she's involved in the action, and while the hormone speech
was a bit cheesy, I have to say the role she plays in helping the man who killed Vaughan
escape was one of the best shocking moments this series has ever offered up, and I have to
give a big thumbs up to the stunt man who performed that stunt. The episode also offers up
pretty exciting climax as we see our heroes board a plane in mid-flight, and the battle
that follows is full of moments that are equal parts exciting and intriguing. I also have
to say I loved the little bits of screen time that Marshall gets in this episode, as the
"I'm not having an affair" moment reaffirmed his position as my favourite
supporting cast member.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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ALIAS
Episode One, Season Five
ABC Production
"The truth is rarely pure, and
never simple."
I have to give the episode credit for getting
out of the gate with a pretty harrowing bit of action as Sydney wakes up from the car
wreck and finds herself in the middle of an intense bit of action. The episode also
deserves full marks for keeping it’s big surprise under wraps as while I make a habit
of running the other way whenever I encounter potential Alias spoiler information, and I
even take this as far as to change the channel before they show the teaser for the next
episode, the exit of a major cast member is normally information that most shows
can’t keep under wraps, and as such I spent most of the final moments of this episode
looking for the big clue that this character really wasn’t dead. However, if this
death sticks than this series has undergone a pretty major shake-up, and the other little
surprise is going to make it a little difficult to difficult to offer up what has been an
action heavy series. Right now this looks to be a series where it’ll be difficult to
stage action as we won’t have any action heroes to pull off the amazing stunts. Still
I wouldn’t be against this series taking a more cerebral approach to it’s
storytelling, as frankly one of the biggest flaws with the recent James Bond films is that
they are little better than a loose framework for bombastic action scenes, and as such I
would mind seeing this series forced to create it’s dramatic intensity from more low
key, suspense driven action scenes. Now the plot information dump was offered up in a
rather ham-fisted manner, as the scene where Vaughan explains his secret mission felt like
the writing was racing the clock, but I imagine this information will be better detailed
in future episodes. In the end this opening episode managed to offer up enough unexpected
moments that I’m excited about the new season.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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